An excellent evening,
presented by Ian Webb of Aldeby Wines. Those who weren't there missed
some great wines and some really informative spiel from Ian. These
wines all offer something a little different. Languedoc Roussillon
grows a phenomenal amount of wine, a lot of which is of less common
grape varieties – like Picpoul, Rousanne, Carignan, Mourvedre,
Grenache – so if you belong to the ABC club, these are for you!
White Wines
Grange des Rocs,
Picpoul de Pinet 2014
AOP Picpoul de Pinet
Daumas Gassac, Reserve
de Gassac, Blanc 2014
VdeP de l'Herault
Chateau Mourgues de
Gres, Terre d'Argence Blanc 2012
IGP VdeP du Gard.
Red Wines
Chateau Mourgues de
Gres, let Galets Rouges 2012
AOP Costieres de Nimes
Close de l'Azerolle,
Veilles Vignes 2013
AOP Minervois
Domaine d'Auphilhac,
Montpeyroux 2012
AOP Montpeyroux
Chateau
Ollieux-Romanis, Atal Sia 2011
AOP Corbieres-Boutenac
Fortified Wine
Mas Amiel, Vintage 2012
AOP Maury
For me, all the whites
offered something out of the ordinary, a little different, while the
reds were more individual. The first and last reds are both well
balanced, the middle two more tannic and harsh – but Ian assured us
that they both need a couple more year in bottle.
The gem of the evening
was the last – a vin doux naturelle, pure grenache fermeted to 4-5%
only, then stopped by fortifying to 18% with ethanol. Fan- tastic...
Ian doesn't sell
direct, but all these wines are available mail order from a variety
of suppliers. All worth trying.
